The Red Hornets (3-1-1) had allowed just three goals total in their first four games. That was due in part to a veteran defensive corps, as well as freshman goalie Manny Guimond. The young netminder looked up to the task early on against a Saints (4-0) attack that entered the game with 31 goals in three games, stopping all 15 shots sent her way.

“I thought she played an excellent game, beginning to end,” Red Hornets coach Shon Collins said. “Her movement was great, she robbed them on a couple.”

“I think our play was good, we kind of dominated, we were in their zone quite a bit, but our shot selection wasn’t appropriate,” Saints coach Paul Gosselin said. “And I think we were hurrying a little bit too much.”

It took three shots into the second period for the Saints to solve Guimond, with Kristina Cornelio ending the scoreless stalemate less than three minutes in.

Avery Lutrzykowski made it 2-0 just 37 seconds later, prompting Collins to call a timeout and try to stop momentum from building for the Saints.

“(Manny) took it a little hard after that second goal, when I called the timeout and regrouped,” Collins said. “She was frustrated.”

The break in the action worked in the Red Hornets’ favor initially, leading to a pair of shots on St. Dom’s goalie Payton Winslow on the first possession, but soon after the Saints’ offense returned.

Katya Fons recorded a natural hat trick, spanning six shots on goal and less than eight minutes in game time.

“It was just very unexpected,” Fons said. “I just tried setting up the team with low shots on the net, and just apparently it was at the right time.

“If it goes in, it happens.”

Izzy Frenette capped off the six-goal period with 1:18 left before the intermission.

“We kind of just told the girls to relax a little bit, and we came out in the second period and it paid off, scored a couple quick goals,” Gosselin said, “and then it just kept coming after that.”

“I think we got away from the game plan a little bit,” Collins said. “I thought we started chasing them a little bit, outside the dots. They’re a good team that knows how to move the puck, and that creates chances. The more you spread out in the defensive zone, they can find those passing lanes and really move it around well.”

The Red Hornets found some measure of revenge early in the third when Mariah Vaillancourt broke the shutout with a goal off an assist from Madi Simard.

“We went in there at the end of the second period and told them, ‘Look, we’re going out there playing as if it’s 0-0,'” Collins said. “Our No. 1 goal is I don’t want their goalie to have a shutout.”

Cornelio ended the scoring in the game, with Bugsy Hammerton assisting on the goal.

wkramlich@sunjournal.com